She Went Catching Stars
by princesstaranee
Summary: The day she left she picked up her bright pink heels and walked out the door.


**A/N: So this is inspired by Train's Drops of Jupiter, which to me is quite an angry, accusatory song about being left behind. I tried to convey that here. Enjoy. :)**

She Went Catching Stars

Rose was always the whimsical one; the one who had faith in everything and everyone. Intelligent, yes, but she never really cared about grades. I watch her as I set up the window display in Flourish and Blott's (25% off your back to Hogwarts essentials!): she's walking up Diagon Alley with her cousin Lily. So she's back, from that soul holiday…and wearing her infamous black skinny jeans and heels under a purple cloak. While Lily is in simple pale blue robes, Rose looks like she's about to go partying at any minute. Her hair is suspended in mid-air, falling in endless waves and never ceasing to move. She's stopped now, across the street, to look at the new broom of choice (don't ask me what it is; I don't know). As she talks to Lily, she turns her head and her hair glitters like drops of water. She listens earnestly to Lily's reply, then nods fervently. She never used to pay attention, but then I suppose that everyone changes.

I wonder if she saw all that she wanted to it in her trip across the world. I left school to become a freelance political journalist at the _Prophet_ – good grades in my NEWTs, but nothing special – and I've wound up as a sales assistant in a bookshop. Rose looks like she's sailed the Seven Seas but realised that she's better than that and it's actually boring. I suppose that the only reason that she came back is because she missed us. But now that she is back – how will she think of me? I'm as boring as the world to her. Bookish Scorpius. We used to sit on staircases at Hogwarts, her legs on my lap, both doing work and she used to get my attention with "Hey, Geek!"

I remember how we used to race down the corridors. It made Albus crack up. "Chasing Constellations again, Rosie?" he used to ask. 'Constellations' was his nickname for me. Terribly original, don't you think? I'm named after the star sign Scorpio, because I was born in November, so Albus thought it hilarious to name me after imaginary pictures too.

For my first four years of school, I was in awe of Rose. She used to read up on goblin rebellions whilst playing Quidditch. I didn't understand it. She had her tentacles in everything; a love of knowledge that held true for obscure Buddhist monasteries deep in China and the most recently discovered ancient rune.

My favourite memory of Rose from school is one that she doesn't even know I have. The Ravenclaw dormitories have excellent views of the surrounding mountains and I was awake early one morning. I was sat on a windowsill and looking out into the cold air. And then I saw it – a flash of red and yellow spinning in the grass. I looked closer and realised that it was Rose, dancing in the light of the dawn as the stars faded. She was wearing a bright yellow scarf that clashed wonderfully with her hair and I realised just how incredible it must be to be so free. That's when I knew that I was in love with her. We were best friends and it was a small step to everyone else. We were – are – so different. I never really asked her out; it was just kissing. But at least it _was_. Did she miss me while she was looking for herself?

By lunchtime, Rose is still in Diagon Alley. I nip across to Fortescue's so that I can sit outside in the Sun and watch her. She and Lily have emerged from Madam Malkin's laden with bags. They laugh together. I imagine stalking up to her and demanding, "Can you imagine a life without my love, your pride, no KFC Friday in Muggle London? Can you imagine your best friend not sticking up for you when you did your disappearing act, even though I knew you were wrong? Can you imagine never having our first dance, our compacted High School romance, no five hour long conversations by owl and never being introduced to 'the best butterbeer you ever had'? Can you imagine your life without me?"

And it's strange, because even though she hasn't noticed me all morning, I know that she thinks that I'll always be a part of her life. That I'd wait whilst she went off sailing the Milky Way and rediscovering Venus. She came back because she was lonely looking for herself out there. But the thing is, Rose is the girl who was too afraid to fly so when she finally did, she never landed. I have my feet on the ground and my head in a book. So at the end of the day, I apparate home and into the arms of my wife.


End file.
